La bibliotheque et la documentation administrative

Abstract

The French National Library and Government Documents Although a large number of libraries in France house collections of government documents, the French National Library plays a particularly significant role in this area. Since 1537, provision has been made for the systematic storage and preservation of government publications of all types. Consequently, even the pre-Revolutionary (prior to 1789) period in France is well documented. Over the last 200 years the collection has expanded to include not only documents on the national, departmental and municipal levels, but also government publications and periodicals of almost all foreign countries and international organizations. French Bibliography, a bibliography and index of publications and their authors, is issued approximately every other month, and supplies bibliographic control of official publications in the National Library. Another publication, Selective Bibliography of French Government Publications, is a bi-weekly summary of the most important publications to have appeared during this period. A special commission is currently working to insure wider dissemination of and greater accessibility to government publications throughout France. A program to computerize much of the cataloguing system is also underway. The National Library sees a real need for these and other services. (SGK)